Originally Posted by
tdracer
Swapping out electronics on such an aircraft would hugely increase the costs. Just because new kit does the same task doesn't mean it works the same way, or even has the same inputs/outputs requirements.
A huge portion of the cost of these sorts of aircraft is in the integration of the electronics, and making sure not only due they play together but they don't interfere with each other. HIRF is a major problem - not so much external threats, but the frequencies coming from the other onboard equipment.
The beauty of using the same electronics as the Australian version is that the difficult integration stuff has already been done.
I get the idea from a few people I know who are dealing with the RAAF wedgetails that the RAF dropped a list of changes on boeing and they they weren't all that happy and when the order size decreased they went nope take them as is